Is SSL worth it?

Yeah, it is!

SSL stands for “Secure Sockets Layer”. It’s a virtual handshake between a web browser and a web server.

It’s not mandatory to have on your web server but it has been highly recommended. Last year, Google said that your SEO would suffer without it, and in July of 2018, Google Chrome is making it official, stating that if your website doesn’t have a security certificate, visitors will see a warning in the browser window.

An SSL Cert (certificate) is necessary to create an SSL connection. The first step is to provide all the details about the identity of your website and your company for the creation of two cryptographic keys – a Private Key and a Public Key.

The next step is the submission of the CSR (Certificate Signing Request), which is a data file containing your details as well as your Public Key. The CA (Certification Authority) would then validate your details. After this authentication, you will be issued an SSL certificate that’s matched to your Private Key. It’s at this point that an encrypted link will be established between your website and the customer’s web browser.

This technology ensures that all the data transmitted between the web server (website) and browsers is, and remains, encrypted so you and your visitors are protected. SSL ensures online activity or transactions remain confidential.

Visitors will see that encryption is in place if the URL is prefixed with “https” instead of “http” and a padlock is shown on the address bar.

A website should definitely use encryption anytime users may submit confidential data, including personal information, passwords, or credit card details. All web browsers have the ability to interact with secured sites so long as the site’s certificate is issued by a trusted CA (Certification Authority).

Some server companies are offering an AutoSSL Certificate which is an SSL certificate some hosting companies are including free of charge with a hosting plan. You can find out more on our post on AutoSSL.

Once your website is capable of HTTPS, a trusted developer must configure your website so that visitors who access the site get automatically directed to “HTTPS”. Contact us if you’d like us to help you install SSL on your website so your site visitors can feel confident that the activity on your site is secure and you can reap Google’s SEO benefits on your SSL pages.